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Connect the World

Insurgency On Rise in Asia, Middle East, West Africa; One Square Meter: St. Petersburg, Russia

Aired June 10, 2014 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Spreading terror from Pakistan to Iraq and across West Africa, insurgency competent, emboldened and on the rise. This

hour, one of Iraq's biggest cities is taken over by a group deemed too extreme by al Qaeda.

The Pakistani Taliban managed to shut down Pakistan's busiest airport for a second day in a row.

And reports of another mass kidnapping targeting women in Nigeria. All signs point to Boko Haram.

We're live in Legos for you.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.

ANDERSON: A very good evening from the UAE. It is 7:00 in the evening here at a time when the West has little appetite for war,

insurgents across swaths of the Middle East, Africa and Asia feel no such glut.

Rebellion on the rise in nations as diverse as Iraq, Nigeria and Pakistan. Militants have something in common, they're gaining ground and

apparently feeling emboldened.

We've got all three countries covered for you this hour.

Let's kick off. We start the program in northwestern Iraq. Militants attacks there have prompted Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki to request

a state of emergency.

Police say parts of the city of Mosul have been taken over by militants believed to represent the group ISIS. I.S.I.S., the Islamic

State in Iraq and Syria.

We're told up to 1,000 inmates have been freed from a local prison. And Mr. al-Maliki is calling for all Iraqi men to volunteer for military

service.

Well, that is what we're hearing on the ground. Mosul, some 100 kilometers from Syria where ISIS is playing a major role in the uprising

against President Bashar al-Assad.

I want to bring in Nic Robertson who is following this developing story for you this evening.

Nic, what do we know of the details on the ground in Iraq, firstly?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we're hearing from Iraqi officials is deeply troubling. We've heard from the

speaker in the Iraqi parliament who said that essentially Iraqi security forces dropped their weapons and ran. His brother, of course, the governor

of Nineveh province in which -- of which Mosul is the capital, second largest city in Iraq, a major city on the main highway linking the south of

the country, Baghdad, to the north to Turkey.

We've heard from the prime minister of the Kurdish region saying that the Iraqi security forces didn't work properly, despite -- work properly

with the Kurdish security forces who are very close to Mosul to the east of it there. They were unable to stop this group coming into town who have

now taken control of the airport, who have now taken control of police stations and massive weapons ammunition caches, weapons themselves and

armored vehicles.

So the prime minister Nouri al-Maliki is calling for a state of emergency to be declared, as you say. He's calling for people to

volunteer, to take up weapons, to fight the ISIS group. But he's also saying that this cannot be allowed to happen to the rest of the province,

Nineveh. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NOURI AL-MALIKI, PRIME MINISTER OF IRAQ (through translator): We will not allow for the remainder of Nineveh Province and the city of Mosul to

fall to the shadow of terrorism and the terrorist criminals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now reality has been on the ground, however. Over the past months, ISIS has been gaining much more influence in Nineveh Province.

This is almost trying to shut the stable door after the horse has bolted.

The reasons for this. Many fault ISIS in Syria. The government's inability to shut them down in the west of Iraq where they took control in

significant cities there at the beginning of the year. The UN says more than a quarter of a million -- more than half a million displaced so far

this year and last year the bloodiest year in Iraq, 8,800 people killed most of them civilians, the bloodiest year in five years, Becky.

ANDERSON: Nic, the speaker of parliament today in Iraq very critical of the Iraqi army's reaction to the ISIS operations, claiming that the

security forces abandoned Mosul, adding that the security leadership in Iraq have been warning for weeks that insurgent activity was likely, but

took no action to prevent it.

This seems at least to me a clear criticism of central government. Your thoughts?

ROBERTSON: And it highlights the sectarian divisions within the country. Mosul is a predominately Sunni city. It is essentially a Sunni

revolt against what they feel is a Shia dominated government. That's where the ISIS sort of gathers its fighters, gathers its support among some of

the population. And that seems to be at the root of some of this very heavy criticism of the Iraqi government, that they haven't done enough to

protect the city of Mosul, that they've essentially abandoned it to these fighters who have been gaining influence in the region.

I mean, when we talk about ISIS in Syria, that part of Syria that they control is just across the border from this area in the north of Iraq.

They control the town of Raqqah. They attract a lot of foreign fighters, this group ISIS. They use those foreign fighters typically a lot in Iraq.

What's happening in Syria is enabling them to be stronger and exert more influence in Iraq. And the governor of Nineveh Province, whose

brother is the speaker of parliament are both expressing that same exasperation that the government, who they feel is Shia dominated, isn't

doing enough to help, Becky. It underlines a lot of the significant problems in Iraq today.

ANERSON: Nic Robertson on the story for you.

And we are staying across this story this hour on Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh just returned from Syria.

And later we'll ask him about the growing role of ISIS there.

We'll also bring you Nick's latest report from inside the broken city of Aleppo where we'll see how rebels are literally digging deep to make

gains against the government.

Well, moving on tonight. And the Pakistani Taliban claiming they are responsible for yet another brazen attack, this one against a facility near

the international airport in Karachi. The airport's manager tells CNN that militants targeted the airport security forces academy in Karachi. So far

there are no reports of any casualties.

But the attack forcing the airport to shut down for the second time in two days.

At least 36 people, you'll remember, were killed on Sunday when militants laid siege to the airport cargo area.

Let's get straight to Saima Mohsin who is on the story for you following the latest developments in Karachi.

This ongoing security operation -- forces earlier reportedly searching the streets of Karachi for the gunmen. What do we know at this hour?

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky.

They've been searching for them, because they managed to get away.

What we know is that a group of gunmen, a smaller group, we believe, than those that struck the airport Sunday night, went to the airport

security force academy, the very people, let's not forget, who were that first line of defense during that attack on Sunday that managed to push the

militants away from the main terminal towards the hangars where they hid out. They came under attack themselves.

Now what the gunmen did was they started shooting at the main entrance. They were met with an armed resistance and then they ran off.

That triggered the huge response we saw today -- police cars, armored personnel vehicles, rangers, the paramilitary force here in Karachi and a

number of ambulances. My producer counted at least 30 that whizzed past us heading towards the academy.

Of course, let's not forget everyone is on (inaudible) hooks here in Pakistan. There's a heightened state of security. We, ourselves, me and

my team, were filming at the cargo holds that had been burnt out. We were given access by the airport manager who was showing us around. We were

filming there when suddenly his team came running towards us asking us to clear out of the airport, get away from the runway. An attack was

underway. Ad we must get to safety.

So, a lot of fear and panic here in Pakistan at the sound of any kind of gunshots. And when we got to the ASF academy, Becky, we also heard

gunshots still ringing out through the area -- Becky.

ANDERSON: They seem to be acting, these militants, with a sense of complete impunity. Would that be close to what you are seeing and

witnessing on the ground at this point?

MOHSIN: That really is the sentiment here, Becky, without a shadow of a doubt. There's a lot of criticism about the government's inability,

let's say, rather than lack of will, to clamp down on this. There's a lot of claims by the government that they're trying their best. Of course,

let's not forget, this is a government that for the past year had tried to have talks with the Taliban, trying like we saw with the United States in

Afghanistan trying to differentiate between good and Taliban, those willing to lay down their arms and not.

But in recent weeks, we've seen the military pounding militant hideouts. This morning, too, after the airport security -- airport attack

as well on Sunday night -- pounding military hideouts in the tribal areas.

But nevertheless, the fear is that these insurgents have now spread out in major cities, urban areas. I'm in Karachi right now, the largest

city in Pakistan, 20 million people live here. And yet there are insurgents living right under the nose of the government. Intelligence

officials are failing to do their job completely, as critics would say, because they are saying, yes, there may be an attack, but they're unable to

say where and when and which group.

And just tonight, actually a short while ago, Becky, just before we came to you, we received notification from the prime minister's office that

they're going to hold another meeting and the interior minister said he's forming a committee to investigate. But frankly the people of Pakistan

feel that meetings and committees will no long due -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Stay on it, Saima.

And more from Saima Mohsin as she gets the latest word from the government. Thank you.

Well, to Nigeria and another militant attack. Local officials in the northeast are blaming Boko Haram for what is another mass kidnapping. This

one happened in the Garkin Fulani settlement just a few kilometers from the town where the militant group snatched nearly 300 schoolgirls in April.

Well, officials say at least 20 women were taken and possibly a few men as well. Nima Elbagir is following this for us from Lagos. And Nima,

the latest brazen attack, it seems, happening in broad daylight. What do we know?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are seeing more and more of these attacks, Becky. We've had no claim of

responsibility from Boko Haram, but officials say this bears all their hallmarks. And all of these attacks are centered around that vortex in

Chibok where the 276 schoolgirls were abducted.

The official figures -- official figure stands at 20, but eyewitnesses tell us it could be as many as 40. And these women are being ransomed back

to their communities, Becky, being used as currency in exchange for cattle and other goods, effectively being used as a means to raise money for Boko

Haram's other criminal activities.

This all comes after the back of a pretty horrifying attack last week along the Cameroonian border where some few hundred people -- no exact

figure, but we think it could be in the hundreds were killed -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Absolutely remarkable.

Nima, thank you.

Boko Haram's reign of terror ripped apart thousands of lives, then.

Coming up in an exclusive report, we're going to talk to two young girls who still bear the emotional scars from a Boko Haram attack.

And tainted celebrations as Egypt welcomes its new president. The country is marred by allegations of more sexual assaults. We're going to

have a live report from Cairo. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. It is just about 15 minutes past 7:00 here in the UAE.

Well, militants have overrun the city of Mosul in northern Iraq. It is situated in an oil rich region with a lot to lose if the insurgency

takes hold. Just across the border in Syria it's an understandable target for the extremist group ISIS. And the Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki

has called for a state of emergency as he tries to stop the takeover in its tracks.

Well, that is clearly no easy task. The speaker of Iraq's parliament says that a foreign invasion of the country is underway by terrorist groups

and that the northern province of Nineveh is under, and I quote, total occupation.

Well, for some time what started as Syria's civil war has been spilling over east into Iraq and west into Lebanon.

Let's get some context now from Nick Paton Walsh who is just back from the battered Syrian city of Aleppo. He joins us now from Beirut.

And Nick, no one better place to witness the rise of what is apparently emboldened insurgency regionally than those Syrians whose living

hell you are reporting on.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, ISIS -- this group you're referring to -- originally came out Iraq. They're from the

embers of the American occupation there, moved into Syria as hardliners who wanted to take over swaths of territory there. Then the moderates moved

back and pushed them back to Raqqah, the city they've always wanted to make their home. And now it seems they're moving east, focusing on the at times

weakened Iraqi state there who have done little to embrace the Sunnis in their midst there.

So we're looking now, though, more in the report you're about to see at the fight raging inside Aleppo itself, that is where the more moderate

at times Islamist Syrian rebels facing very complex front lines against the regime and having to resort in the face of endless bombardment from

Syrian regime jets and helicopters, to extraordinary next tactic to try and get the upper hand in those street battles in Aleppo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH: Syria's rebels and civilians are used to enduring this. Yet this blast was different, a rare moment the regime has targeted. Rebels

now some time table (ph) to tear through the front lines, bringing horror for once to the regime's door.

Rebels are engaged in the same battle to the same streets like that one that I saw 22 months ago. But to try and break that stalemate, they

are digging tunnels underneath regime positions in a bid to detonate bombs underground.

This is the rebel answer to the regime's owning the skies with their jets and helicopters. Anyone with a shovel can own the dark.

Above them, they hope is the military behind the air attacks that have brutalized Aleppo for months.

"We've doing it for about a year," he tells the cameraman, "because we couldn't find a solution for how to blow up the military targets that are

so well defended."

They have to feel by noise and compass, inch by inch, insisting they avoid civilians.

"Residential areas where snipers are based are above us. All of them are snipers, so you can consider this a military zone. God willing, they

will be above us and we under them."

They let these pictures be filmed as they'd almost completed the tunnel. Then, they detonated it.

40 regime soldiers killed in this, say activists. While it is the regime more broadly advancing, this is a rare moment when rebels feel

empowered, filming the blast from different angles.

And where the tide of killing here changes direction briefly.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Aleppo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH: Now, devastating as those tunnels are on regime lines, they are the tactic of a rebel insurgency that is on the back foot here. It is

the Assad regime that is moving forward, moving now to encircle those areas of Aleppo held by the rebels where those tunnels are, in fact, being dug.

And many moderate, sometimes Islamist Sunni rebels say the reason they're suffering this losses against the Syrian regime is because of the

efforts and manpower and blood they expended in pushing the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria out of Aleppo, out of northern Syria back towards Raqqah.

ISIS not dented at all, as we've seen today, moving forward eastward against the Iraqi government now. Many worried in Syria it may just be a

matter of time until they try to push westerwards as well -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Nick, for the moment, let's just step back. There is what is a seemingly emboldened insurgency from Syria to Iraq. We've seen

evidence of this emboldened sort of activity in Pakistan today and indeed on the west coast of Africa. Whether any of these groups are linked or

not, to what do you put this rise in militancy now down to?

WALSH: Well, I think certainly in Syria it's the result of a failed state, a vacuum there, rebels were completely disunited and chaotic for

months. They simply had a window there in which these extremists could flood in. It became a calling card for anybody who would previously had

gone to Afghanistan or Somalia, countries where arguably there are some security forces making life harder there for that kind of no man's land in

which -- what the U.S. refer to as terror groups thrive.

Syria has become made their home. Everything they needed was there -- the free movement of weapons, the absence of any kind of government, no

real competition from moderate rebels until recently. So that's why they came certainly into Syria.

The Pakistanis a separate story there, of peace talks halted perhaps coming off the table now.

But I think certainly when it comes to Syria that's the largest danger, because every Western government you look at now is concerned about

what do these men, potentially thousands more, do when they finally finish their war or won their jihad in Syria? Do they come back to Europe? Is in

fact Europe their eventual target?

Even so, if they do create their kind of utopia -- this is a very dysfunctional world they want to create where women have very little role

in society, where the most stringent interpretation of Islamic Shariah law is daily currency. If they get that particular territory for themselves,

that's on the doorstep of Turkey, on the doorstep of NATO, an extraordinarily dangerous situation for Europe and itself. And I think

many wondering quite at one point the Western governments feel they need broader intervention in this area -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Right. And this, though, out a time -- and it seems that there is no coincidence -- or there is a coincidence here -- no coincidence

perhaps -- that the Western world is losing its appetite for war.

WALSH: Certainly. Many thought that the use of chemical weapons in Syria might finally result in what -- you know, in the Bush era you have

had as a given the sort of military intervention to knock Assad back. But obviously Barack Obama, reeling from the enormous domestic U.S. debt of two

very lengthy and expensive and costly wars, it was unable -- impossible for America to actually afford further intervention elsewhere after Libya,

certainly, and perhaps the -- I think they felt that not entirely broad welcome they got from the Libyan people after Benghazi for that assistance

there.

So, yes, very little appetite for that. We see the Americans doing as little as they can, I think, critics say, to seem involved assisting the

Syrian rebels, but they aren't actually doing enough to change the balance on the ground. And the result of that stalemate is the vacuum into which

the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has inserted itself.

They are certainly growing. And they suffered setbacks. They may eventually become the target of NATO's drones or surveillance if that's not

already in some ways surveillance wise the case. But they are remarkably potent force that swept across Syria briefly once, then got pushed back.

Now sweeping into Iraq.

Quite how long they retain that territory, we don't know. But as I say, it's right on Europe's doorstep -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Nick Paton Walsh for you tonight in Beirut.

And much more on the coverage of all of these stories online, of course. CNN.com, click the link on the homepage. You'll find Nick's

reporting from inside Syria. You can read his reporter's notebook there about the dire conditions, the hell as he describe it, experienced by

civilians still inside the country of Syria.

That and much more at CNN.com.

Live from Abu Dhabi, I'm Becky Anderson. This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson.

Coming up, just two days out from the World Cup opening ceremony, Brazil still facing hurdles.

And, the shifting real estate market in Russia's second city, the old is out and the new -- well, at least one developer thinks, it's what

wealthy buyers want.

That after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, it is time to take you to the Global Exchange where we introduce you to the people and places paving the way in the world's

emerging economies.

Well, tonight, St. Petersburg, Russia's elegant second city developed in the 17th Century, of course, known for its French and Italian influenced

architecture in the northwestern Petrogradsky area. And new development has got apartments selling for up, get this $7 million.

Well, John Defterios, my colleague, got to see it for himself and shows us what it's like in this addition of One Square Meter.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Czar Peter the Great called this city of grandeur a window to Europe. Estate agent, Elizaveta Conway

(ph) tells me, it is one that Russians are more willing to open as investors.

This customized 500 square meter flat is on the market for $16 million.

Down on the water's edge, Conway says local tastes are changing. And living in a piece of history is not a priority.

ELIZAVETA CONWAY, ESTATE AGENT: They would care for very simple and everyday things. They would care for a good underground parking, for a

good layout, for just good security or concierge in the building, which is very difficult to find in these properties unfortunately.

DEFTERIOS: Enter Igor Onokov and his son Aleksander. On this bit of land called Petrogrodsky Island they are constructing this mini city with

all the amenities one could dream of.

IGOR ONOKOV, REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER: We ask the people what you want to have just near of your house, like cafe or bank and try and to organize

80 percent of this just in the complex.

DEFTERIOS: Onokov brought in well known design architect Philip Stark and the Yoo Group to deliver St. Petersburg elegance with a modern twist on

a waterfront development just 10 minutes from the heart of downtown.

JOHN HITCHCOX, CEO, YOO: We work with great developers all over the world on these sorts of projects really to service our friends and like-

minded people to bring the village community back into urban living.

DEFTERIOS: Despite the river views, which are prominent here from this location, it took quite a vision when the developer purchased the

property. This is a site of a former textile factory which fed the military. It then became a dumping ground for St. Petersburg. The

developer 10 years ago bought five hectares for $6 million. He said it would go for ten times that amount today.

So far, 40 percent of the 406 units have been snapped up, commanding $8,000 per square meter at the low end to $20,000 for a very high end

waterfront spot.

The company bought the land across the water, which house a beer factory. They will eventually link the two developments by foot bridge.

This leafy corner of Czar Peter's empire will be transformed by the time the World Cup kicks off in 2018.

John Defterios, CNN, St. Petersburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: A very warm welcome back. It's just after 7:30 in the UAE, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. The top stories for you

here on CNN this hour.

Hundreds of gunmen now control key parts of the city of Mosul in northern Iraq. And Iraq's prime minister is calling on parliament to

declare a state of emergency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NURI AL-MALIKI, PRIME MINISTER OF IRAQ (through translator): We will not allow for the remainder of Ninawa province and the city of Mosul to

fall to the shadow of terrorism and the terrorist criminals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Iraq's parliament speaker says the attacks amount to a, quote, "total occupation" of the Ninawa province.

Police in Karachi are hunting for militants who attacked a security facility near Jinnah International Airport. Now, the Pakistani Taliban

have claimed responsibility for the attack, which follows Sunday's deadly raid at the airport that left 36 people dead. There are no reports of any

casualties this time in Tuesday's attack.

Officials in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state are blaming Boko Haram for another brazen mass abduction. They say the militants stormed into a

village there in broad daylight and kidnapped at least 20 women, along with three men who tried to stop them.

In South Korea, the trial of the captain and 14 crew of the sunken ferry has begun. There was a scuffle as family members of the victims

filled the court. The captain and three other crew members are charged with murder. Some 300 passengers drowned when the ferry sank in April.

CNN's Paula Hancocks was outside the courtroom for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was an emotionally-charged day. The captain of the Sewol ferry and 14 members of

crew on trial here at Gwangju district court.

Now, more than 90 relatives of those victims actually came to the court. They wanted to see the men who were accused of telling their

children to stay onboard as the ship was sinking. More than 300 people, we know, are either dead or missing from that tragedy back on April the 16th.

Now, it was emotionally-charged. We know that as the defendants walked into court, many of those families started screaming at them and

cursing them until the judge actually managed to regain some control of his court. So, tempers were certainly very high, emotions were frayed.

We spoke to one father just after the court case. He lost his 16- year-old son in that tragedy. And he said that when he saw the captain, he wanted to kill him. He said it was very frustrating, he felt helpless just

sitting and watching what was happening. He said it was very similar to what had happened when he was just at the harbor on the southwest coast of

South Korea waiting for his son to be found.

So, obviously, a very difficult day for the families. We know that the captain and three of the crew members have been charged with murder.

The captain's lawyer says that the murder charge is unlikely to stick. The captain has pled not guilty to the murder charge, the lawyer basically

saying that there was no willful intention, he had no grudge against those that lost their lives onboard.

And also said that some of those more responsible were passing and shifting responsibility onto the captain himself. So, there are some who

are saying there may not be a free trail -- a fair trail, as the emotions are so high when it comes to this particular case. But court officials are

insisting it will be a swift and fair trial. The court has now been adjourned until June 17th.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Gwangju, South Korea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, a global summit on ending sexual violence in conflict areas has kicked off in London. British foreign secretary William Hague

and UN envoy Angelina Jolie opened what is this four-day event. It's billed as a call to action to protect men, women, and children from rape in

war zones.

Unfortunately, sexual violence not just a problem during times of conflict, of course. In Egypt, Sunday's presidential inauguration turned

sour after reports of multiple sexual assaults emerged. Disturbing video showing one of the attacks has been spreading on Twitter, Facebook, and

other media sites -- social media sites. Reza Sayah reports for you tonight from Cairo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Outrage continues to grow on social media and around the world after a cell phone camera

captured what rights groups are calling another brutal sexual assault against a woman in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

The video is also getting the attention of Egypt's new president, Abdul Fattah el-Sisi, who's calling on authorities to take every measure to

fight sexual harassment.

We're going to show you portions of that video now, where you see a lot of chaos and commotion. There are parts of this video that are too

graphic for us to air, but they show a woman who has been stripped naked, and you can clearly see parts of her body bloodied and bruised. She's

being dragged away by police in the middle of a crowd of men who appear to be fighting to grope her.

We can't verify when this video was shot, but rights groups say several women were sexually attacked and harassed on Sunday night, the

night Cairo celebrated the inauguration of Egypt's new president, Abdul Fattah el-Sisi.

This video puts under the spotlight yet again what many call the epidemic of sexual harassment in Egypt. A UN study last year showed nine

out of ten women in Egypt have been victims of sexual assault and harassment.

There have been numerous campaigns by rights groups to raise awareness about sexual harassment in Egypt. Last week, Egypt passed a new law

criminalizing sexual harassment. But rights groups say it's incidents like this that show authorities have yet to take this problem seriously.

A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry tells CNN seven men were placed under arrest on Monday on charges of sexual harassment. It's not

clear if any of those men were part of the attack that was caught on tape.

Reza Sayah, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, another country that's been making headlines on this, unfortunately, is India, where sexual violence, it appears, is rife. The

recent gang rape and murder of two young girls, whose bodies were then hung from a tree, is merely the latest in what has been a string of cases that

have drawn attention to the problem.

CNN's Mallika Kapur takes to the streets of Mumbai to get to the heart of this endemic violence. And I've got to warn you, these are -- or this

is a report that has elements and images that some of you may find disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a village in north India, two teenaged girls were found hanging from this

tree, allegedly raped and murdered. The incident shocked India. A few days later, more outrage, this time because of what a politician said.

"No one tells us before they commit a rape," he said, adding, "Sometimes it's right, sometimes wrong." He may have been talking about

consensual sex, but his remarks in the context of a rape were seen as shocking and insensitive.

This politician says rapes aren't intentional. They happen by mistake. And earlier this year, a minister offered this excuse: "Boys

will be boys." Shobha De, a noted columnist and author, says she's not entirely surprised at these comments.

SHOBHA DE, COLUMNIST/ACTIVIST: Politicians also represent society at large. They are not aliens who come from outer space.

KAPUR: It's a deeply entrenched patriarchal attitude, De says, one that historically placed women second.

CROWD (chanting): Wake up India! Wake up India!

KAPUR: It's being challenged now. After the 2012 Delhi gang rape, India tightened laws, started fast-track courts, and created help lines for

rape victims. But that hasn't been enough to change what rapists do or politicians say. What needs to change is the way people think and feel.

DE: They have to feel it with a sense of empathy that this is morally abhorrent. Until they feel that sense of revulsion and horror, nothing

will change.

KAPUR: Change must begin at home and be followed through at schools, says Paul Machado (ph), the principal of an all-boys school in Mumbai, so

he introduced a gender sensitization program into the curriculum last year.

PAUL MACHADO, PRINCIPAL: We would like to make sure that our children, when they go out into the society, that they are bringing about a

positive difference within society.

KAPUR: The students say the program is making them more aware of the way they treat women.

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: I surely will be very kind to women and give them respect.

KAPUR: They say India's politicians need to change how they think, too.

KAPUR (on camera): Appalled by the recent incidents in India, the UN secretary-general said, "We say no to the dismissive, destructive attitude

of 'boys will be boys.'" Here in India, many people say that politicians should also take the same hard line and use their words to condemn, not

condone rape.

Mallika Kapur, CNN, Mumbai.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Live from Abu Dhabi, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Up next, innocence lost. We meet two girls who had

their childhood stolen by the terror group Boko Haram. That after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Boko Haram is being blamed for another mass kidnapping in northeastern Nigeria today. Local officials say militants abducted at

least 20 young women from the village of Garkin Fulani. That is just eight kilometers away from Chibok, where more than 200 girls, you'll remember,

were kidnapped in April.

Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for dozens of abductions and killings during its five-year insurgency, and many of the victims have been

kids. Arwa Damon has this exclusive report on two young orphans whose lives were changed by -- forever by this terror group.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She breaks down at the slightest memory of what she has been through.

DAMON (on camera): OK, she just said that she's OK staying here, she just doesn't want to be the one who's talking about the story of what

happened to them.

DAMON (voice-over): Fourteen-year-old Bintu (ph) and her 12-year-old sister, Maol (ph), grew up as daddy's girls after they lost their mother to

natural causes. Then he was killed in a Boko Haram attack.

DAMON (on camera): The family fled from Maiduguri, the birthplace of Boko Haram in Nigeria. It took them about a day to get here to Diffa in

Niger, but still, fear followed them across the border.

DAMON (voice-over): To such a degree that even here, they don't want their identities disclosed.

"She can't understand how this could have happened," Mohammed Watanuki (ph) with the International Rescue Committee explains. "She's a victim,

going through a psychological trauma. She needs protection."

Now they live on this small lot with their Aunt Isha and her own seven children, who escaped Nigeria with them. Isha describes the chaos and the

fear, how the attacks by the terrorist group were happening on a regular basis. Maol remembers locking the doors and cowering inside. Then came

the attack on the market that robbed them of their father.

DAMON (on camera): These two photographs that they took with them, and it's the only thing that they took, are photographs of their mother and

father that they always kept with them.

DAMON (voice-over): They remember how he used to work hard to clothe them, make sure they had an education. Both want to be teachers. Now,

they're left to navigate life alone.

DAMON (on camera): Mohammed is saying that when it comes to protecting cases like this, too, it's not just about the psychological

issues that they're going through, but a girl -- a young girl at that age needs to be protected from exploitation as well. She's completely

vulnerable.

DAMON (voice-over): Their childhood stolen by Boko Haram, both girls are desperate to find their future. They say they want to return home to

Nigeria to continue their education, for themselves and in memory of their parents.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Diffa, Niger.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: The region where Arwa has been reporting from is now straining to cope with an influx of refugees. Coming up Wednesday, Arwa

has that part of the story from Niger. Do not miss what is an exclusive report on CNN.

Coming up after this short break on CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, two days to go and football fever building in Brazil. But not

everybody quite so enthusiastic about the sport's governing body. We're going to explore FIFA's popularity -- or lack of -- after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: According to my footballing clock, the World Cup just two and a half days away, almost to the minute. And while many Brazilians are

up in arms about the amount of money being spent on hosting the event, another group of people has no such financial concerns, namely the

management of FIFA, the sport's governing body.

Here's why. According to "Forbes," FIFA stands to bring in no less than $4 billion in revenue from this year's tournament, $1.7 billion from

TV rights, $1.3 for marketing deals, 66 percent more than the last World Cup in South Africa. At that time, FIFA'S 380 employees were earning an

average of $170,000 a year.

FIFA boss Sepp Blatter is often portrayed as president of an exclusive club rather than a governing body. He's about to run for a fifth term in

office, he tells us, and clearly isn't ready to loose one of the most lucrative jobs in sport.

But many football fans would like FIFA itself to adopt the fair play it advocates and become more accountable to those filling its coffers.

Step forward, HBO's John Oliver. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN OLIVER, HBO HOST, "LAST WEEK TONIGHT": FIFA says they leave a lot behind, which they do. Like new laws. Because you see, once upon a

time, Brazil did this.

NADIA BILCHIK, EDITORIAL PRODUCER: In 2003, the Brazilian government banned alcohol from stadiums because of the enormously high death rate

amongst fans.

OLIVER: Well, that seems like a good idea.

(LAUGHTER)

OLIVER: Potentially lifesaving, even. The only problem is, Budweiser is one of FIFA's key sponsors, and they sell a product they reflectively

insist on calling, beer --

(LAUGHTER)

OLIVER: -- and FIFA seemed anxious to protect Budweiser from a law designed to protect people. Which is why FIFA's secretary-general went to

Brazil with a simple message.

SEPP BLATTER, PRESIDENT, FIFA: I'm sorry to say, and maybe I look a bit arrogant, but that's something we'll not negotiate. There will be and

there must be a start of the law, the fact that we have the right to sell beer.

OLIVER (imitating French accent): Maybe I look a bit arrogant, but --

(LAUGHTER)

OLIVER: -- how you say? -- (expletive deleted) your laws.

(LAUGHTER)

OLIVER: And your public safety.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: John Oliver in his inimitable way. What does FIFA, then, actually do? Well allow me a little editorial license here. It organizes

and selects the host of the World Cup and generates hundreds of millions of dollars from that masthead event.

Those who run the "great democracy" -- their line, not mine -- will tell you there is a lot more to it than that, but let's, then, walk those

gilded corridors, shall we? Our next guest once tried to run for president. That's Sepp Blatter's job, of course. Joining me now is Grant

Wahl, senior writer for "Sports Illustrated" joining me via Skype from Sao Paulo.

Mr. Wahl, you wanted to stand as a people's candidate, not a popular move with the powers that be, it seems, three years ago. What happened?

GRANT WAHL, SENIOR WRITER, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": Well, as a kind of satire but also in trying to point out the real problems that FIFA has had

over the years with corruption and with a lot of the things that their organization perpetrates, I was running for FIFA president.

And I wanted to get the message out to the world that there is more of a people's choice candidate out there, and that FIFA can be a much better

organization and get a much better reputation.

ANDERSON: So, what happened?

WAHL: Well, I wasn't able to get a nomination. Part of the rules at the time for FIFA were that you had to get one national federation, one FA,

to nominate you formally for president. And I actually contacted 150 of them. I did have some nice talks, including with the Scandinavian one, the

US, with Italy, actually, and they were interested.

What they said was that they would be interested in voting for me in the election, because that was a secret ballot, but they couldn't nominate

me, because that was a public act and that would come back to haunt them in the end --

ANDERSON: Yes.

WAHL: -- when Sepp Blatter won.

ANDERSON: Wow. Well, I know that Sepp Blatter, I believe that year - - this was the last time he stood and won the presidency was nominated by Somalia. There were 208 of those countries involved in FIFA.

Listen, didn't you talk to England? This is a country whose media are banging on at present about how unfair it is, or how wrong they allege was

the Qatar bid and, indeed, for 2018, "The Sunday Times" on that, a lot of late. Didn't England support you?

WAHL: I tried to talk to England. I talked to some mid-level people there, never talked to the people in charge. I admire them for abstaining

in the FIFA presidential vote in 2011, because very few federations did.

There was only one candidate, Sepp Blatter, as these very undemocratic-sounding elections took place. It's hard to proclaim yourself

a "great democracy" when you only have one-candidate elections, I think.

But yes, I wish England nominated me, or somebody else who could have been an outsider candidate who would have promised to clean up FIFA. I had

promised a WikiLeaks on FIFA. As FIFA president, I would have put every internal document out to the public for examination to find out how corrupt

or uncorrupt FIFA really was.

ANDERSON: Oh, dear. And perhaps that might have been the reason you didn't get a nomination.

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: I know you were looking at goal-line technology, something, to be fair, they have brought in, and also getting more women into the

executives, something I know they're working on.

So, listen, sorry about that. Perhaps you'll stand -- or at least try and stand in 2015. Who knows? Come back to us if you get a nomination.

Thank you, Mr. Wahl.

WAHL: All right, thank you. Take care.

ANDERSON: The team at CONNECT THE WORLD wants to hear from you. Would you try and stand for the presidency of FIFA? Don't. But look,

joking aside, this is a really important story, facebook.com/CNNconnect, have your say. You can always tweet me @BeckyCNN, @BeckyCNN. We're on

Instagram, of course, as well, that's Becky and CNN.

All right. In tonight's Parting Shots -- we kick off, as I say, just a couple and a half days away. World Cup TV commercials can be as much of

a talking point as the matches themselves, can't they? Amir Daftari, my producer, shows us now how some are already scoring big with around 100

million -- million -- YouTube hits between them. Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can football save the planet?

AMIR DAFTARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Putting the "world" in "World Cup," Samsung's sci-fi ad assembles an international

all-star football team to take on aliens who've challenged the Earth to a win or be destroyed game of footie.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

DAFTARI: A kick around the park turns into a shape-shifting, start- studded experience in Nike's advert.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It stays on. Guess I'm Christiano Ronaldo, then.

DAFTARI: And it got everyone from Wayne Rooney to David Luiz.

There are stars of a different sort in Banco de Chile's patriotic advert. Remember these guys? It's the Chilean miners reminding you that

nothing is impossible, including a World Cup victory for Chile.

It's one of the most eye-catching World Cup adverts out there, and it hasn't got a star in sight. This is McDonald's Trick Shot, just a good,

old-fashioned ad featuring some unbelievable football skills.

And finally, one of the most talked-about commercials is this --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: All right, let's get to my colleagues in the US for some breaking news for you.

END